Smiles - we have proof!

Yep, we've got proof caught on camera that Emery is indeed smiling these days! We are still convinced that she really started smiling around four weeks or so, but we weren't entirely sure until she started grinning more & more. She is still somewhat stingy with them, but if you catch her in a good mood she will talk to you and smile these huge happy grins that make us completely melt. Even if we have been having a hard day, all she has to do is flash that smile and I turn into complete mush! I love it. I have even discovered that she might have a dimple on her left cheek. We'll see!

Here are a couple of other pictures from this morning on her playmat. She has just started really enjoying looking at all the colors and objects - she was even coo'ing at them and smiling! She had a full belly so eventually she fell asleep and took a catnap.

She'll be 7 weeks old tomorrow...I can't believe how the time is flying. Before I know it, I'll be going back to work and she'll be staying with Adam's mom. I am so glad to have this time with her, no matter how hard it's been - I am going to try so hard to really appreciate the last few weeks we have left. Keep checking back for more pictures and updates!

Slept Through the Night!

Ok, Ok, I know that it's just a fluke and will probably not happen again for a while, but Emery officially slept through the night last night!!

She had her last feeding at 8:45, I put her down to sleep around 9:30 and she slept right through until 6AM! The best part is that I went to bed at 10:30 and didn't wake up again until about 4:15, so I got a good almost-six hours of sleep. I honestly don't think I have had that much uninterrupted sleep since the night before I was induced. I feel GREAT today! Of course I woke in a panic at 4:15 because I hadn't heard a peep from her and the room was completely silent (she is normally a very noisy sleeper - grunting and squirming constantly). However, she was sleeping peacefully and didn't seem to be even close to waking up. So I took the opportunity to pump since it had been over 8 hours since she had last eaten and I was incredibly uncomfortable. If she keeps doing this, I'll have a nice freezer stash stored up for when we start leaving her more!

This past Friday and Saturday nights she also had some nice long stretches of sleep - about five and six hours during that first leg of the night. I was hoping it would continue, but she blew that trend out of the water on Sunday night when she was up again every 3 hours. I guess we'll start to have some nights that are fabulous and then we'll have nights that just aren't. I never thought I would celebrate getting to "sleep in" until 6AM, but considering I have mostly been sleeping at 2-to-4 hour intervals since she was born, I am absolutely ecstatic.

The last few days have been really good - Emery has seemed to be in a good mood for most of the day, just getting a little fussy in the evenings. She is definitely smiling at us, and is starting to coo and "talk" to us more. One of her favorite spots is, ironically, the changing table - she'll just stare at us and smile & talk to us as we're changing her. I say that it's ironic because in the beginning she would scream at the top of her lungs the second we'd lay her down on the changing table! I think some of that had to do with her reflux - even though we have the pad at an incline, she was probably experiencing some reflux when we laid her down and it was painful.

Emery will be six weeks old on Thursday. I have really seen now what it means to bond with a baby - people told me when I was pregnant how important it was, but I remember thinking that it was something that happened instantly; the baby is born and she automatically knows who we are and that we'll take care of her. I've come to realize that it's really something that happens over time, and that she needed to learn who we are and trust us to address her needs and love her. It's amazing that now I can tell the difference between her pain cry, her hunger cry, her dirty diaper cry and (this one happens often) her I'm-overstimulated-and-tired cry. I really feel that spending almost every minute with her over the last six weeks has solidified our relationship and I know that the bond gets even stronger as time goes on. We love her more and more every day.

Adam and I have started spending a little more time together without her, which has been nice too. Saturday afternoon we left her with Grandma (my mom) for about an hour and went for a 2-mile run - my first run since becoming pregnant!! I did pretty well, and we're going to go again this evening as long as the weather continues to be nice. I'm trying to get this last bit of baby weight off, I have about 8 lbs to go and it seems to be the hardest to get rid of. I still can't get my wedding rings on and that is the most depressing part! I have resigned myself that I will probably have to go buy some new clothes before going back to work - since I am breastfeeding all my tops are quite snug now, and I don't think that'll change even if I do end up losing the weight!

I'll be sure to update soon and let everyone know if this sleeping through the night thing continues...I'm not getting my hopes up! Have a great week!
-Michelle

Happy One Month!

Well, I am a day late in posting, but yesterday was Emery's 1-month birthday! Wow...time sure has flown (though it should seem like it's been a lot longer since I have been awake for most of the past month!). The last four weeks have been the hardest of my life, and I say that with 100% honesty. However, they have also been the neatest, being able to watch our little girl grow, learn about her personality and her needs, and thinking about her future with us.

Adam and I are convinced that we have seen her smile several times now. I know people say "it's just gas" but NO...I don't believe it. She's responding to us in small ways, focusing on our faces and following us with her gaze. It's so touching to see her turn her head when she hears her Daddy's voice. She loves to look at the skylights in the kitchen and the spinning ceiling fan (she can't see them clearly but she can see the contrasting colors and the movement). I am so excited to see how she continues to take in the world over the next few months, and hopefully start sharing more of those smiles with us.

Her reflux is still a work in progress. As I posted earlier, the pain seems to be better under control (though it does flare up at times) but her spitting up has gotten a lot worse over the last week or so. I have to change her outfit at least three or four times a day, even though I try so hard to keep her from getting it all over herself (and me!). I've had to clean the couch a couple of times and her bouncy chair is probably due for a washing as well. I was really getting concerned because she was spitting up SO MUCH - I was unsure of how much milk she was actually keeping down. We went to the doctor this morning for a weight check and my fears are alleviated. She has gained almost another entire pound - she is 9lbs 8oz! The doctor thinks that perhaps the amount of vomit is due to the fact that she is overeating, which I really can't do anything about...I let her eat until she appears to be finished. I tried limiting how much she ate a few weeks ago and that only resulted in a very VERY fussy baby, so if she eats too much and then spits it up, so be it. I'd rather deal with the laundry than the screaming.

We still have good days and bad days. Some days she is just very unhappy and she cries most of the day - other days she can be content and quiet. I had lots of family in town this past weekend for my uncle's 50th birthday party, and my house was full of people...I thought for sure Emery would have a meltdown. However, she handled it great and only got fussy when she was hungry (which is often). We even left her with her Aunt Mandy Saturday night so we could go to my uncle's party for a few hours, and she did great! Oh, and Mandy is also convinced she got a smile out of her!

All in all, I think the best way to describe the past month is CRAZY. It's been good and bad, frustrating and wonderful. I think that might just be what parenting is all about...right?

Below is a picture of Emery after Mandy stayed with her Saturday night. She was worn out and fell asleep on Adam's chest. She's gotten big!

Happy One Month, baby girl!!